Coin-tray.



PATENTED SEPT. 12, 1905.

J. W. MEAKER.

COIN TRAY.l

APPLICATION FILED APR.21,1904.

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UNITED STATES -PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. MEAKER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES CLARENCE POOLE,TRUSTEE, OF EVANSTON, ILLINOIS.

COIN-TRAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 12, 1905.

Application filed April 21, 1904. Serial No. 204,250.

To @ZZ whom t 77mm/ concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. MEAKER, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Coin-Trays; and I dohereby declare that the following is'a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part ofthis specification.

This invention relates to an improved coin tray or device for holdingand supporting coins of various denominations in separated groups, eachcontaining a fixed or predetermined number of coins, so that all thecoins in any one group may be taken from the tray at once without thenecessity of counting them and with the certainty. that the number willbe correct.

The tray herein shown as embodying my invention is more especiallyintended for use in connection with automatic coin-delivering apceivinggrooves B B B2 B3 BL B5.

paratus; but such tray may be used separately, if desired.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, and pointedout in the appended claims.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of a trayembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section thereof, taken uponline 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a vertical section thereof, taken uponline 3 3 of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken upon line 4 4of Figs. 2 and 3.

As shown in said drawings, A indicates the body of the tray, which isarranged in an inclined position and, as herein shown, is supported bymeans of vertical end flanges A A2. The tray itself and the end walls AA2 are preferably made of a single or integral casting. A separatedplate A3 is shown as secured to the rear margin of the tray and to theend margins vof the end walls A A2 to close the space at the rear of thetray.

In the top surface of the plateA and transversely thereof or extendingin a direction from the lower to the upper margin of the tray are formeda series of parallel coin-re- The forward or lower ends of the severalgrooves B to B5 are closed by means of a transverse front wall A2, thetop edge of which is preferably in the same plane with the top of thebody of the tray. The rear ends of said grooves are preferably closed bymeans of a rear wall formed by anupward extension A5 of the rear pla'teA3, although the presence of said rear wall is not essential, inasmuchas the rear ends of the grooves may be left open. Said grooves B to B5are severally appropriated to coins of various denominations. If thetraybe used for United States coins, the coin-receiving grooves will beadapted to receive dollars, half-dollars, twenty-five-cent pieces,dimes, nickels, and pennies. Said grooves are made of rectangular formin cross-section and with parallel vertical side walls and arepreferably uniform in depth. The grooves thus made are adapted toreceiveor hold a number of coins when the latter are arranged intransverselyextending groups or with the individual coins arranged sideby side or with their flat faces parallel with the side walls of thegrooves. Each of the grooves is, moreover,` adapted to receive a desirednumber of coins, such as it may be found most convenient to take fromthe tray at one time in making change. As shown in the accompanyingdrawings, the grooves B toB5 are made of proper width to contain,respectively, ten silver dollars, ten half-dollars, ten twenty-five-centpieces, five dimes, te'n nickels, and ten pennies. By reason of theinclined arrangement of the tray the several transversely-arrangedgroups of coin in each groove tend toroll or gravitate toward the frontor lower edge of the tray, so that the forward or lowermost group ineach groove will rest against the front wall of the tray, while those atthe rear or above it will rest against the lowermost group and againsteach other and so that when a group of coins is removed from the forwardend of l either groove those above willdescend and br1ng the nextsucceeding group lnto positlon for removal.

It is intended that the several coin-receivf rendering it certain thatthe same number of IOO coins will in all instances be contained in eachgroup removed from the grooves. This result is readily obtained in thecase of the large coins, such as silver dollars, notwithstanding' someof the coins are more or less worn, because in case of coins as thick assilver dollars and when the grooves are wide enough to receive not morethan ten coins it will never happen that the coins will becomesuficiently thin to permit an additional coin to be inserted. In thecase, however, of the smaller coins-such as half-dollars,twentyfive-cent pieces, dimes, nickels, and pennieswhen as many as tencoins are arranged in each group and several coins so worn thin by useare present in the group room may be left for the insertion of anadditional coin, and unless provision were made to prevent thisinsertion of an additional coin more than the desired number might beinserted into the groove. I have provided a device for this purposeconsisting of thin longitudinal separating-strips C C C2 C3 C4', whichare secured in the bottoms of the groove between the side walls thereof.The strips, arranged as described, are disposed in such position withrespect to the side walls of the grooves as to divide the coins into aplurality of subgroups, each containing a desired number of coins-as,for instance, as shown in the accompanying drawings, the groove B forhalfdollars is provided with a centrally-arranged partition-strip C, thegroove B2 for twentyfive-cent pieces is provided with two partition-strips C C, so arranged as to afford space for four coins between them andthree coins between their outer faces and the side walls of the groove,the groove B3 for the dimes is provided with two strips C2 C2 like thestrips C' C above described, while the grooves Bi B5 are provided withsingle partition-strips C3 0*, arranged each centrally of the groove inwhich it is placed. These strips are preferably made of very thin metaland are arranged to rise above the bottoms of the grooves far enough tokeep the coins separatedY from each other. The utility of thedividing-strips thus arranged will be readily understood when it is seenthat a space wide enough to contain three, four, or five new coins wouldnot permit the insertion of an additional coin should one or more old orworn coins be inserted, it being obvious that in the case of thenarrower or subgrooves the eXtra space afforded by the thinner coinswould only be a fraction of that which would be present were acorresponding proportion of thin coins present in a group of ten coinsinserted in a groove made wide enough to receive ten new or unworncoins. To facilitate the removal of the groups of coin from the frontends of the grooves, the strips are cut away in their parts near thesaid front ends of the grooves so that they will not at this pointentirely separate the coins, but will permit the upper or forward edgesof all of the coins in the group to be pressed together, and therebyremoved at once from the groove. Said strips are shown as terminating attheir forward ends rearwardly of the front wall A* and as being cut awayin rounded form, so that their said forward ends will project onlyslightly between the rear and lower edges of the coins which rest incontact with said front wall, thereby enabling their upper and forwardedges to readily come together or into contact when inward pressure isapplied by the fingers to the end or outside coin of the group in takingthe same from the groove.

It will be manifest that the partition-strips arranged as describedobviate the possibility of more than the desired number of coins beinginserted in the grooves to make up any one group, while at the same timethe convenience of inserting and removing the coins is not at allinterfered with, it being obvious that as the coins are always removedfrom the lower or forward end of each groove and as the strips are cutaway or shortened at their forward ends, as above described, a group maybe taken from the lower end of either of the grooves by grasping theends of the group by the fingers, so as to bring' the separated coins inthe groove together at their upper or forward edges, thereby enablingall of the coins to be llifted at once from the groove without liabilityof the coins in the group being displaced, it being o f courseunderstood that as soon as the coins constituting any group are liftedfrom the groove they will be freed from the end of the partition-strip,which projects slightly between their rear and lower edges when thegroup is in contact with the forward end of the groove.

The tray illustrated in the accompanying drawings is provided at oneside with a shallow receptacle D, such as is commonly present and usedin connection'with such trays, to receive odd coins, money in rolls,gold coin, or other currency which thel grooves are not adapted toreceive.

The drawings show the entire tray as supported on the upper portions oftwo parallel vertical plates E E by means of studs e e in the plates,which engage notches a a in the lower edges of the end walls A A2, saidplates E illustrated being the parallel side frameplates of amoney-changing machine.

In the case of the groove B3 for dimes the separating-strip C2 ispreferably extended only a part way from the front tb the rear of thetray, leaving a space at the upper end of the groove for the receptionof dimes in rolls. In the case of dimes it is found that some coins areworn so thin as to be nearly half of their original thickness, so thateven when the partition-strips are used some of the coins are so thinthat three of them may be inserted in the space provided for two, and itis therefore best to place new or little-worn coins only in the dividedgroove. If, therefore, many old IOO or much-worn dimes are to behandled, it is better that they should be done up into rolls or placedcrosswise in the groove B3 above the partition-strips and removed one byone therefrom in making change.

I claim as my invention- 1. A coin-tray provided with a coin-receivinggroove having a longitudinal coin-separating strip which is cut away atthe part of the groove from which the coins are removed.

2. An inclined coin-tray provided with a coin-receiving groove which isclosed at its lower end, and has a longitudinal coin-separating stripwhich terminates short of the lower end of the groove.

3. A coin-tray provided with a coin-receiving groove of rectangular formin cross-section and adapted to receive a plurality of groups of coinswith the coins in each group in parallel relation to the side walls ofthe groove and having in said groove a longitudinal coin-separatingstrip cut away at the part of the groove from which the coins areremoved. c

4. An inclined coin-holding tray provided with a coin-receiving grooveof rectangular form in cross-section and adapted to receive a pluralityof groups of coins with the coins in each group in parallel relation tothe side walls of the groove, said coin-receiving groove being closed atits lower end and provided with a longitudinal coin separating stripwhich terminates short of the lower end.

5. A coin-tray provided with a plurality of grooves of varying widths,each of which is of rectangular form in cross-section, and adapted toreceive transversely-arranged groups of coins of differentdenominations; the tray being inclined so that the coins will roll bygravity toward the lower ends of the grooves and said grooves beingclosed at their lower ends of two witnesses, this 8th day of April, A.D. 45

JOHN W. MEAKER. Witnesses: f

C. CLARENCE POOLE, WILLIAM L. HALL.

